Method and apparatus for sizing and marking fabric



H KRUGLICK April 17, 1956 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SIZING AND MARKINGFABRIC 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 3, 1954 lN VEN TOR: Harry Krug/ickBMMM 24 A TTOR/VEY METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SIZING AND MARKING FABRICFiled Nov. 5, 1954 H. KRUGLICK April 17, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Figuremmmm Figure 7 //v VENTOR: By Harry Krugl/ck A TTORNEY United StatesPatent METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR slzlNor AN A MARKING FABRIC HarryKruglick, Chicago, Ill. Application November :4, 1954, Serial No.466,594

8 Claims. (Cl. 223-1 t This invention relates to a novel method andapparatus 1 fabric of the desired length and straight or even across thebottom edge. When laid flat on a surface, the fabric extends beyond thereach of one person and, therefore, usually requires at least two peopleto handle the fabric for sizing and marking. Furthermore, any foreignmatter under the fabric will bulge the fabric and interfere with themarking, thereby resulting in an uneven hem. This difliculty isaccentuated when working with pleated or shirred fabricbecause pressuregenerally is applied to the fabric in order to lay it evenly on a flatsurface and this, in turn, spreads out the fabric and results in unevenedges. It is apparent that uneven draperies or curtains, for example,vare unsightly and will not be accepted by the customer.

In accordance with the present invention, bulky fabric is handledeasily, sized accurately and finished with a straight hem. Briefly theinvention comprises completing the top edge of the fabric as desired,suspending the fabric in a vertical position on a roller mechanism whichpermits the fabric to be moved readily about the room, moving the fabricto a position behind a marking plate having at least one horizontal rowof small openings therein, spraying a marking medium through saidopenings to thereby mark the fabric at the desired point or points,subsequently cutting and/or folding the fabric at the marked point orpoints, and sewing or otherwise com- I pleting the hem.

sections for receiving the folds of the fabric positioned behind themarking plate, and the overall framework for supporting the apparatus. av

Figure 2 is a side view taken along lines 2-2 of Figure 1, andillustrates the method of pivotally supporting the markingplate to theframework. U

Figure 3 is a side view taken along lines 3-3 of Fig ure 1, andillustrates the method of attaching the marking plate to thesupporting'arms, as well as illustrating the roller mechanism forraising and lowering the marking plate.

Figure 4 is an enlarged view taken along lines 44 of Figure 3, andillustrates further details of the marking plate attached to thesupporting arms.

Figure 5 is an enlarged plan view of the marking plate and illustratesthe openings therein.

"ice trates the curved railing near the ceiling and the fabricpositioned behind the sizing and marking apparatus.

Figure 7 is an enlarged detail illustrating one method of supporting thefabric in a vertical position on a roller mechanism. s

In theinterest of simplicity, like parts in the various figures'will beassigned identical numbers.

Referringto Figure 1 of the drawings, numeral 1 represents a frameworkwhich, in turn, may. be attached to the ceiling, top molding or othersuitable structure indicated at 2. Framework 1 may be made of wood,metal or any other suitable material. Attached to the top of theframework at two points as illustrated are supporting arms 3. Bothsupporting arms 3 generally will be of the same construction and may bemade of wood, metal or any other suitable material or mixtures thereof.The supporting arms are pivotally attached at the top of framework 1 inany suitable manner. trated, as also shown in Figure 2, round bar orpipe 4 pivots within bearing 5 which, in turn, is attachedby screws,bolts or the like 6 to block 7 and top framework 1. Supporting arms 3are attached to bar 4 by means of U-bends 8. Also attached at the top offramework 1 is a pulley arrangement for raising and lowering the markingplate in the manner to be hereinafter described.

Each of. the supporting arms 3 has a ruler 9 extending downwardly alongthe outer edge. The rulers are so positioned that the top thereofcorrespond to the top of the fabric so that the length of the fabric maybe measured readily and the marking plate set at the desired position.Also attached to each of the supporting arms 3 is channel bar 10, asalso illustrated in Figures 3 and 4. Referring particularly to Figure 4,it will be noted that channel bar 10. is attached by means of screws,bolts or the like 11 through grooved member 12 to supporting arm 3.Channel bar 10 contains openings 13, through which a pin may be insertedand the marking plate held in position in the manner to be hereinafterdescribed. The openings in channel bar 10 are uniformly spaced and maybe at any desired distance from each other, usually /2" or 1" apart,depending upon the particular variations in lengths encountered in thesizing operations.

Referring again to Figures 3 and 4, a plurality of roller arrangements14 are attached by means of screws, bolts or the like 15 through block16 to channel bar 10. In the case here illustrated, marking plate 17 isfirmly attached by means of screws, bolts or the like 18 to block 16 andthus the block and marking plate may be raised and lowered as desired.However, in the particular construction illustrated in the drawing,comparatively small variations in markings are encountered and theprovisions as shown are sufficient. When greater variations areencountered, block 16 may be made shorter or, if desired, marking plate17 may be connected directly to the rollers in any suitable manner. I i

. explained, spring 19 is positioned on screw, bolt or the like 18.

Figure 6 isa plan view of a portion of a room and illus- Marking plate17 preferablyis made of plastic, although it may be made of glass, wood,metal, etc. In the case here illustrated, the marking plate iscomparatively large and therefore advantageously is made of light weightmaterial to facilitate handling the same. As shown, angle bar 20 isfirmly attached to marking plate 17 across the top thereof by means ofscrews, bolts or the like 18 and 21. Angle bar 20 servesas a base orsupport for attaching pulley rollers 22 which areconnected asillustrated through plate 23 and angle piece 23' by screws, bolts or thelike 24. Riding on rollers 22 are pulley ropes 25, which pass throughrollers 26 at the top of framework 1 and through roller 27, whereby theropes hang loosely in the center and may be pulled by the operator toraise the marking plate. Angle bar 28 In the case here illus-' Forreasons to be hereinafter is firmly attached to marking plate 17 at thelower edge thereof by means of screws, bolts or the like 29. This anglebar is optional but it serves to collect excess marking medium andavoids drippings or droppings on the floor.

In operation, marking plate 17 is raised or lowered to the desiredheight by means of pulley ropes 25 and is held in position by insertingpins 30 through corresponding openings 13 as measured by rulers 9 oneach side of the marking plate. The marking plate is provided withopenings 31, preferably flared, as also illustrated in Figure 5.Openings 31 are positioned as horizontal rows so that a marking mediummay be sprayed or otherwise passed therethrough to mark one or morebroken lines straight across the fabric. The exact number of rows ofopenings will depend upon the particular markings desired andmaycomprise from one to any desired number. The exact spacing of the rowsalso will depend upon the particular markings desired. In the case hereillustrated, the top and bottom rows are spaced 4" away from the nextrow and the three center rows are spaced 2" apart. This permits greatflexibility in marking as will be explained hereinafter.

As illustrated in Figures 1 and 6, vertical slats 32 are provided behindmarking plate 17. The slats serve to provide recesses for use whensizing and marking pleated fabric to receive the folds of the fabric andthus provide a straight surface for marking. Slats 32 are attached tohorizontal supports 33 by nails, screws, bolts or the like 34. Thehorizontal supports in turn are attached to and supportedby'framework 1. It is understood that a corrugated structure or anyother suitable method of providing recesses for the folds in the fabricmay be employed.

Figure 6 is a plan view of a section of a room, factory, etc. andillustrates railing 35 circumventing all or a portion of the room,factory, etc. and passing behind the sizing and marking apparatus. Inthe case here illus' trated, pleated drapery 36 is positioned behindmarking plate 17 and in front of slats 32, the folds of the draperyfitting into the recesses between the slats and providing a flat surfacefor marking- It will be noted that the drapery, after sizing andmarking, may be pulled along railing 35 away from the marking area toany desired location and there the hem may be finished while the draperyis still hanging. This simplifies handling of the bulky fabric andconsiderably speeds up the finishing operation.

' Referring to Figure 7, railing or channel bar 35, which may be similarto channel bar 10, is supported through grooved member 38, by means ofscrews, bolts or the like 39, to framework 1 and ceiling, top molding orthe like 2. Roller arrangement 40 may be similar to roller arrangement14 but, in this case, loop 4-1 is attached for supporting hook 42 which,in turn, is removably attached to drapery 36.

In operation, the top hem of the fabric to be sized and marked iscompleted and the fabric then is fastened through removable hooks 42onto rollers 40. The rollers ride in railing 35 and the fabric is rolledin back of marking plate 17 with the back-side of the fabric facing themarking plate. This avoids any marks showing on the front side of thefabric. With straight fabric; that is, fabric not pleated, shirred orthe like, slats 32 may be omitted and a flat surface provided in itsplace. However, with pleated, or shirred fabric, slats 32 or equivalentstructure is provided, and the folds of the fabric are arranged to fit,into the recesses provided between the slats. In this embodiment, anglebar 2t) may be provided at the top with horizontal projectionscorresponding with the recesses in order to facilitate inserting thefolds of the fabric, into the recesses. The marking plate is set at thedesired position by pulling on pulley ropes 25 to raise the markingplate and inserting pins 30 through the corresponding openings 13 asmeasured by rulers 9 on each supporting arm 3. The pulley ropes are thenlowered 4 and the marking plate held in position because of rollers 14resting on pins 30.

After the fabric is positioned behind the marking plate, the markingplate is pressed against the fabric. Springs 43 are attached tosupporting arms 3 and the springs may be hooked on or otherwiseremovably attached to a hook, nail or the like positioned convenientlybehind the supporting arms to thereby pull the marking plate tightlyagainst the fabric. As heretofore mentioned, spring 19 may be providedon screw, bolt or the like 18. This spring will take up any slack whichmay occur when the marking plate is set at a higher point and thus willinsure a tight press against the fabric.

When the marking plate has been set at the desired position, a markingmedium is sprayed or otherwise passed through openings 31 onto thefabric. Any suitable marking medium may be employed, including powder orliquid. A particularly suitable marking medium comprises a liquidsolution of a phosphorescent or other material which is visible clearlyonly under a fluorescent or other special light. As hereinbefore setforth, one or any desired number of horizontal rows of openings areprovided in marking plate 17. .In the case here illustrated, the top andbottom rows are spaced 4" away from the next row and the three centerrows are spaced 2" apart. The top row corresponds to the desired lengthof the fabric and the fabric is folded at this line when making a hem.When a 4" hem is desired, for example, the fabric is folded at the nextmarked row and either cut at this line or folded at the third orpreferably the fourth marked row and cut on this line. When a 6" hem isdesired, for example, the fabric is folded at the top marked row, thenfolded at the third marked row and cut at the last marked row. In somecases, only the rows which are to be utilized as markings for cuttingand/or folding are sprayed but this method will generally require morecareful spraying unless the rows of openings are spaced far apart.Usually the fabric is cut at the desired line before the folding andfinishing of the hem.

As hereinbefore set forth, another advantage to the present invention isthe ease in handling the fabric for finishing the bottom hem. This isaccomplished very readily by moving the fabric while still hanging fromthe roller mechanism to a work bench and there cutting and folding atthe marked lines, then moving the fabric while still hanging from therollers to a sewing machine or other mechanism for sewing, stapling orotherwise completing the hem. When desired, the work bench, sewingmachine, etc. may be placed on an elevated platform as this will furtherincrease the ease in handling the fabric. When special marking solutionor powder is used, special lighting is employed at the work bench,sewing machine, etc.

I claim as my invention:

1. A method of measuring and marking pleated drapery which compriseshanging the drapery by hooks attached to rollers riding an elevatedhorizontal railing, whereby the drapery may be moved in a definite path,positioning the draperybehind a marking plate having openings thereinand in front of a structure having recessed sec-- tions adapted toreceive the folds in said drapery, setting said marking plate at apredetermined position, pressing said marking plate against said draperyand thereby holding the folds in the drapery within the recessedsections of said structure, thus providing a fiat surface for marking,spraying a marking medium through said openings onto said drapery,releasing said marking plate and withdrawing said drapery from behindsaid marking plate, and cutting the drapery at the marked position whilestill hanging by said hooks.

2. A method of measuring and marking fabric which comprises hanging thefabric on rollers riding an elevated horizontal railing circumventing atleast, a portion of a confined area, whereby the fabric may be moved ina definite path within said confined area, moving the fabric to aposition behind a marking plate having at least one horizontal row ofopenings therein, setting said marking plate at a predetermined positionby raising andlowering the same on a roller arrangement connectedthereto and attached to vertical supporting arms on each side of saidmarking plate, pressing said marking plate against said fabric, sprayinga marking mediumthrough said openings onto the fabric, thereby markingthe fabric at the desired line, moving'said fabric while hanging on saidrollers to a work bench positioned on an elevated platform, and

cutting the fabric at the marked line.

3. The method of claim 2 further characterized in that said markingplate is set at a predetermined position by measuring the predeterminedposition by means of rulers attached to said supporting armsandarrangedin a manner that the top of the rulers correspond to the top of thefabric.

4. The method of claim 2 further characterized in that said markingplate is pressed against the fabric by firmly attaching the markingplate to said supporting arms which in turn are pivotally attached to aframework and by pivoting said supporting arms to a position whereinsaid marking plate rests against said fabric.

at least onehorizontal row of openings in said plate,

whereby a marking medium may be passed throughsaid openings onto thefabric to thereby mark the fabric at a desired length.

6. The apparatus as defined in claim 5 further characterized in that astructurehaving recessed sections is positioned behind said fabric, saidrecessed sections being spaced and arranged to receive the folds ofpleated fabric.

7. The apparatus as defined in claim 5 further characterized inthat saidmarking plate is attached through a roller mechanism at each sidethereof to supporting arms which, in turn, are pivotally attached at thetop thereof to a framework.

8. The apparatus as defined in claim 7 further characterized in thatsaid roller mechanism comprises a pair of grooved railings positioned ateach side of said marking plate, rollers firmly attached to saidmarkingplate and riding said railings, openings in said railings, pins insertedin corresponding openings in said railings, whereby said rollers rest onsaid pins and thereby hold said marking plate in a predeterminedposition.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS632,308 Firsching Sept. 5, 1899 1,136,048 Platz Apr. 20, 1915 2,567,981Weego Sept. 18, 1951 7 2,633,644 May Apr. 17, 1953 2,682,113 Portwood etal; Q. June 29, 1954 2,694,257 Centanni Nov. 16, 1 954 FOREIGN PATENTS418,430, Italy 'Feb. 15,-1947

